At long last: Scott County breaks ground on second high school

Although ceremonial, Thursday morning’s groundbreaking for Great Crossing High School marked a big step forward for Scott County.

“We need a second high school,” Scott County Schools Superintendent Kevin Hub said at the groundbreaking. “Education is the foundation of every successful community, and what this second high school does is help us provide more opportunity for students.”

The need for a second high school had been discussed in Scott County for several years, primarily because of overcrowding at Scott County High School in what is projected to be the fastest-growing county in Kentucky.

Scott County is expected to have more than 3,000 high school students by the 2020-21 school year.

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“It could not have been done without the support and leadership of five (school) board members,” said Hub, who has pushed for a second high school since he became the district’s superintendent in July 2016.

The school will be on Betsy Way next to Elkhorn Crossing School. The school’s mascot will be the Warhawks, and its colors are white, navy blue and kelly green, which pay homage to the district’s former schools: Georgetown High School and Great Crossing School, which now houses the district’s central office. A live hawk was brought in for the event.

The high school is expected to accommodate 1,500 students, with space for as many as 1,930 students and about 40 regular classrooms. Hub said the school includes space that could be used to teach kids about career fields that don’t yet exist.

In addition to Georgetown and Scott County officials, some students from nearby Western Elementary attended, and two students shoveled dirt. The students participated as representatives of future students of the school.

D.W. Wilburn is the general contractor for the school. The Lexington-based company also was the general contractor for Lexington’s Frederick Douglass High School, and is the general contractor for the CentrePointe parking garage and the new Bluegrass Stockyards, scheduled to open next month.

The cost of the school will be about $69.5 million, which includes the $59 million price tag for the school itself and costs for the architect, engineer and inspections.

To help pay for the school, the school board approved a property tax increase earlier this year. The increase will appear on tax bills this fall. Hub has previously said the tax increase would also help the district build a new elementary and middle school.